Pages

Friday, March 9, 2018

What Happens to Our Brain When We Experience Complete Silence

(Christina Sarich) The word noise comes from a Latin root word meaning, “pain,” or “distress.” Noise is something we’ve become accustomed to, even if we are keenly aware of its ability to cause multiple forms of anguish. Even if we live in “decibel hell,” we can find moments of silence to reduce our pain. We can intuitively observe that silence, in contrast, reboots our ability to think straight, and offers us a profound feeling of peace.

“Silence is the perfectest herault of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much.” – Shakespeare"

Silence also allows us to get to know our deepest truths in an undeniable way. It is in complete silence that the thoughts we shelter from others come to the surface.

But what else happens to us when we take a break from the deafening sounds of modern life? Aside from the metaphysical benefits of sitting in silence, there are staggering physiological changes which take place throughout the body: notably in the brain.

Scientists have studied the effects of silence on the brain for several decades, but a few studies are paramount in their importance if we are to understand just how vital silence is for a human being.

Silence Develops New Brain Cells

One study, published in the journal, Brain, Structure, and Function observed mice under the influence of noise and silence. The way the study was structured, silence was expected to be the control (identifiable or observable fact meant to minimize the effects of independent variables in a study). However, mice exposed to two hours of complete silence daily developed a peculiar side effect – they started to develop brand new cells in the hippocampus of the brain, the area which is associated with learning new things, retaining memory, and processing emotion. Though new brain cells don’t always directly translate into better health, one of the researchers, Imke Kirste, says that these new cells appeared to become functioning neurons.

“We saw that silence is really helping the new generated cells to differentiate into neurons and integrate into the system.”

Silence Heightens Sensitivity And Empathy

There are many brain areas associated with emotional sensitivity and empathy. Particularly, the right supramarginal gyrus, is an imperative brain region for the development of these traits. If this brain region doesn’t function properly on a regular basis — or when we need to make particularly quick decisions — our ability to execute empathy is dramatically reduced.

Silence Fights Insomnia

One study, published in JAMA measured the effects of silence on sleep. Though it was used to test mindfulness meditation, the essence of the meditation is to observe the thoughts, silently. Those who spent just twenty minutes practicing “silence” had a measured increase in sound sleep and no longer suffered from insomnia.

The Brain Evaluates And Internalizes Information

Another important study has found that the brain processes information very differently when we allow it to be in silence. When the brain is at rest, meaning, it is not exposed to new stimuli via sound, it can take both internal information (learned things) and integrate them more seamlessly with external information.

In other words, instead of reacting to external stimuli, including things that would normally trigger us to behave in a less-than-conscious way, we can quickly determine how to integrate experiences with people, circumstances, and more.

Although we can’t impose a quiet environment in our own minds, and always calm our personal thoughts, it seems that a quiet external environment allows the famous “gap” in our thinking which Daoists, Buddhists, and others have hinted at. This gap is a split second of calm which allows us to choose our reaction to the world, instead of acting out old habits.

As Nietzsche once said, “Silence is worse, all truths that are kept silent become poisonous.”What better way to see the world as it truly is, and not as we’ve erroneously imagined it, then by getting a daily dose of silence?

Silence Releases Tension From the Body and Brain

Multiple studies that measured changes in heart rate, respiratory rates, carbon dioxide levels, cerebral-artery flow, and other concrete physical changes, found that just a few moments of silence change how our bodies respond to the world.

Preliminary studies even indicate that silence can help us to overcome childhood trauma, PTSD, and other serious conditions of the heart and mind. The amygdala — associated with memory formation and emotion — is activated when we hear “noise” leading to the release of stress hormones. Conversely, silence activates the release of oxytocin, GABA, and serotonin – all hormones which reduce stress.

In closing..

Silence is much more important to our brains than we’ve previously thought. All profound internal progress – our a-ha moments – are preceded by silence.

Christina Sarich is a staff writer for Waking Times. She is a writer, musician, yogi, and humanitarian with an expansive repertoire. Her thousands of articles can be found all over the Internet, and her insights also appear in magazines as diverse as Weston A. Price, Nexus, Atlantis Rising, and the Cuyamungue Institute, among others. She was recently a featured author in the Journal, “Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and Healing Arts,” and her commentary on healing, ascension, and human potential inform a large body of the alternative news lexicon. She has been invited to appear on numerous radio shows, including Health Conspiracy Radio, Dr. Gregory Smith’s Show, and dozens more. The second edition of her book, Pharma Sutra, will be released soon.

_________________________Stillness in the Storm Editor's note: Did you find a spelling error or grammar mistake? Do you think this article needs a correction or update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com with the error, headline and url. Thank you for reading.

Question -- What is the goal of this website? Why do we share different sources of information that sometimes conflicts or might even be considered disinformation?

Answer -- The primary goal of Stillness in the Storm is to help all people become better truth-seekers in a real-time boots-on-the-ground fashion. This is for the purpose of learning to think critically, discovering the truth from within—not just believing things blindly because it came from an "authority" or credible source. Instead of telling you what the truth is, we share information from many sources so that you can discern it for yourself. We focus on teaching you the tools to become your own authority on the truth, gaining self-mastery, sovereignty, and freedom in the process. We want each of you to become your own leaders and masters of personal discernment, and as such, all information should be vetted, analyzed and discerned at a personal level. We also encourage you to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of this site to engage in a group discernment process.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." – Aristotle

The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Stillness in the Storm, the authors who contribute to it, or those who follow it.

View and Share our Images. Curious about Stillness in the Storm? See our About this blog - Contact Us page.If it was not for the gallant support of readers, we could not devote so much energy into continuing this blog. We greatly appreciate any support you provide!

We hope you benefit from this not-for-profit site

It takes hours of work every day to maintain, write, edit, research, illustrate and publish this blog.We have been greatly empowered by our search for the truth, and the work of other researchers. We hope our efforts

to give back, with this website, helps others in gaining

knowledge, liberation and empowerment.

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth;

not going all the way, and not starting." — Buddha

If you find our work of value, consider making a Contribution.This website is supported by readers like you.

No comments
:

Post a Comment

SITS blog is a venue where Data we come across can be shared with all of you. If we look past personal bias, and distill the Absolute Data within each post, our natural intuition will assemble these nuggets together and reveal a greater truth.

We do not know what that truth is yet of course. We are discovering that together as a whole by sharing and discussing our unique perspective. Share your thoughts and we will all come to a greater understanding as one.

The Galactic Mantra

Fair Use of Information for ALL

All data is freely available to the ALL, as an inherent inalienable right of consciousness and existence, for the use of any being in creation who seek to know and use it in sacred trust with the Creator. No Claim of Ownership is made by SITS, for any data presented on this page or elsewhere.

Any information, writing, photographs, videos or content on this page is freely available to ALL without claim of Intellectual Ownership. We advise providing attribution to this website (Stillness in the Storm) when, and if, data herein presented is used elsewhere; so as to remain honest, transparent and to maintain the public trust as to where the information was found.

Any and All data herein presented has been re-claimed for the collective benefit of all sentient life from any and all parties who seek to limit its dissemination for personal gain only. Any claims of intellectual ownership or copyright, that were once ascribed to content on this page, held in inperfect trust and dishonor, or elsewhere, is NULL and VOID; as a result of a misrepresentation of right of ownership and breach of trust by any party whom presumes to claim title and exclusive right of use without also making available such information to those honorable parties who lawfully petition to use it.

No requests, threats, or notices that seek to limit the sharing information for the benefit of ALL will be honored. However, a humble request to provide information in a certain way or form will be considered, up to and including, the partial removal of data, and only as an agreement between two or more honorable parties whom fully disclose and honor a moral duty to the truth.

FAIR USE NOTICE:

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, and so on. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

In this respect we are in accordance with the statutes as well as Natural Law. ﻿

All Rights Reserved in Sacred Trust under the One True Divine Creator.

SITS is a humble agent of the One Infinite, Divine, and Absolute Creator, in service of the Truth and the ALL beings.

All data is freely available to the ALL. No Claim of Ownership is made hereon. Powered by Blogger.